AA/Tunis
Spain adopted a regulatory reform on Tuesday to facilitate the regularization of tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants, according to information reported Wednesday by French media.
The left-wing coalition in power thus hopes to compensate for the lack of labor in a country where the population is aging, underlines the “Infomigrants” site.
“The objective is to strengthen and expand the pathways to regularization for migrants who are in Spain, so that they can lead a full life as citizens: have rights and duties,” explained the Minister of Inclusion and Migration Elma Saiz quoted by the same media.
This new regulation, announced by the minister as the most ambitious in 13 years, provides for a reduction in deadlines and formalities for obtaining residence permits, the “strengthening” of the rights of migrant workers, the extension of three months to one year of the duration of the job search visa and the creation of new statuses paving the way for regularization, specifies Infomigrants adding that with these new measures, the government estimates that the country could regularize up to 300 000 immigrants each year.
“As we have repeatedly said, various national and international organizations (…) estimate that Spain needs around 250,000 to 300,000 foreign workers per year to maintain its standard of living,” insisted the minister at a press conference.
According to Minister Elma Saiz, some 2.9 million foreigners already contribute each month to social security, or 13.6% of total affiliates, “two points more than just two years ago”, indicates the same media.
“As the [Premier ministre Pedro] Sánchez a few weeks ago, Spain must choose between being an open and prosperous country, or being a closed and poor country. And we chose the first option,” she continued.
Unlike France, Germany, or even Italy, which have been tightening their migration policy for several months, Spain is one of the rare European countries to open its arms to immigration. At the beginning of October Pedro Sanchez gave a speech to the Spanish Parliament on the benefits of reception focused on pragmatism: “Immigration is synonymous with wealth. Without it, we would lose 30 million people of working age in the years to come in Europe (…) Immigration is not only a question of humanity, it is also necessary for our economy and our prosperity,” reports the same source.
According to figures cited by the minister, some 210,000 migrants were registered at the end of 2023 in the various procedures leading to naturalization in Spain, i.e. 85,000 people more than in 2022, indicates Infomigrants, recalling that Spain is, moreover, faced with increasingly intense illegal immigration from West Africa to the Canary Islands.
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